


The Forest Clearing

by CaptainParisStarr



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), First Time, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Watersports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainParisStarr/pseuds/CaptainParisStarr
Summary: When Merlin wakes up in Arthur's arms, the Prince has to refresh his memory of the day before, and how everything had changed between them.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 115





	The Forest Clearing

**Author's Note:**

> This story does contain piss desperation; however this is not the primary theme.

Merlin woke slowly, his head aching, and his entire body feeling unusually warm; which was odd, because he was outside.

Sunlight filtered down through the trees above, dappling him in green as he lay there, enjoying the sensation of having nothing to do for a few minutes. Then blond hair filled his vision, accompanied by an increasing pressure around his middle, and with a start he realized where the warmth had come from.

“Sire! I’m sorry!” He jerked away, then groaned, his head swimming, but at least he was no longer in the prats arms.

“Merlin! Whoa, easy, you bumped your head yesterday, and had a little too much wine.” Arthur pressed a water-skin to his lips, and Merlin drank automatically, the waves of nausea receding slightly.

“Thank you. What happened? Wait, did you say I hit my head?! You let me sleep with a head injury?!” Merlin glared incredulously at Arthur.

“You only bumped it; no visible swelling, and you had no loss of balance or slurred speech.” Arthur snorted. “As for ‘letting’ you, I turned away to stoke the fire, and when I came back you were already out, and I couldn’t wake you back up.” His voice trembled slightly.

Merlin sighed. “I see. So you weren’t being an insensitive prat this time.” Sitting back on his heels, Merlin wrapped his arms around himself.

“Merlin, I’m glad you’re okay.” Arthur backed off, shooting the warlock an odd look as he checked on his horse.

“Where are the others?”

“I sent them back to Camelot before triggering the trap you had to free me from.”

“What trap?” Merlin stood up, and began to pace.

“You don’t remember?” Arthur glanced over, something that might have been hope in his eyes.

“No, what happened?” Merlin had a terrible hunch that he was forgetting something important; perhaps even something life altering.

“Sit down.” Arthur pushed him back down onto the blankets, seating himself closer to Merlin than he normally did. “It all started yesterday, after I had shot that deer…”

* * *

  
  
  


The previous day

“Did you see that shot?” Arthur yelled joyously as two of his men hurried to collect the deer; the arrow protruding from directly between its eyes.

“Yes.” Merlin laughed softly, seeing nothing joyous about killing, yet finding the mood too contagious to avoid a chuckle.

“Sir Leon!” Ignoring Merlin, as usual, Arthur called for one of the knights accompanying them. “Take the men, gather the kills, and return to Camelot.”

“What of yourself, Sire?” Sir Leon’s expression was neutral as he met Arthur’s eyes.

That was when Arthur did look over at Merlin, almost as though the warlock was an exotic tapestry he was appraising. “I wish to ride a bit more; Merlin will stay with me. I have my hunting horn, and we are only two hours from the Castle. We’ll be safe; no bandit would dare harm travelers this close to Camelot’s walls.”

The Knights and men shifted restlessly, as though wanting to protest, but were unable to. “Very well, Sire.” Sir Leon gave a half bow, and began to organize the packing of the camp, except for what Arthur and Merlin would need. “Will you be out overnight?”

“Yes, we will.” Merlin was startled; even if they were only hours away from Camelot, staying out overnight, with only the two of them, was risky. He shook his head, clearing it; they had been alone overnight before, on quests, and secret missions, and the like. They could handle themselves; the surprising part was the fact that Arthur seemed to want to spend a night alone with him, and he sensed that he was missing something; something big, and important.

“Arthur? What are you doing?” Merlin shot the Prince a curious look.

No reply, not that he had expected one.

The men left, without voicing any complaints, and Merlin found himself alone with The Prat Prince. “Would you care to tell me what this is about?”

Arthur sighed; not of anger, or frustration, but a softer emotion. “Merlin, I-”

All he had done was touch the branch to clear it of leaves; resting his weight on his hands as he had begun to reply to Merlin; likely as a prelude to gathering extra firewood; but that had been enough to spring the trap. A rope tightened around his wrists, bringing his hands together as he was lifted up, jerked first to his feet, then into the air, stopping with his feet inches above the ground.

“MERLIN!”

“Hang on!” Merlin cast about, and hurried to detach a saddlebag. “Lift your feet.”

For once, Arthur complied with Merlin’s request without question; likely he had realized what Merlin was doing. Though the bag was small, it was more than tall enough to brace his feet, allowing him to stand upright rather than hang from his wrists. “I need to climb up and take a look at the rope.”

“Be quick.” Arthur craned his neck, trying to examine his hands. “Looks like the work of a trapper; likely intended for rabbits, and other small mammals.”

“Are you hurt?” Merlin tried to distract Arthur as he built himself a ledge to stand on, from which he could reach the knots.

“My arms ache, from wrist to shoulder, but…” He stopped and wiggled everything he could. “I can move without agony; nothing feels dislocated or broken.”

“Good! Excellent!” Merlin climbed up, putting himself at eye level with the knot. “I know this is awkward, but it will only be for a few…”

The moment he touched the rope, pain sizzled down his arm, and he was blown backwards.

“MERLIN!” True alarm colored Arthur’s voice, and he yanked at the rope.

“Oh…” Merlin sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “That hurt.”

“Are you okay?”

“No, but I will be in a few moments.” Merlin slowly stood up, still rubbing his head, but when he withdrew his hand there was no blood. “I’m not bleeding.”

“Why were you shocked, but I’m not?” Arthur was looking nervously up at the rope.

“It’s an enchantment. The entire trap is probably an enchantment. Only the Sorcerer who set it up can remove that rope; with the right spell. That was an anti-tampering surge. You aren’t being affected because he doesn’t want his rabbit cooked before he can retrieve it.”

Relaxing slightly, Arthur nodded. “So I’m safe because I triggered the trap?”

“Yes, I believe so.” Merlin began to take a closer look around the clearing, but there was neither sign of anyone approaching, or of any more traps in the clearing.

“So now what? Merlin, I am NOT hanging here until some Sorcerer comes by to free me!” Arthur whined, clearly hating how helpless he was.

"What do you want me to do?! Leave you alone, maybe for hours, while I try to track down a specific trapper? Or would you rather I used magic to free you?!" Merlin was flustered, and barely aware of what he was saying.

"Yes! That is exactly what I want you to do!" Arthur all but screamed back, causing Merlin to stumble back a few feet, barely avoiding tripping and landing on his ass.

"What is?"

"Magic! Merlin, you said this is the work of magic; does it have to be the same Sorcerer who uses magic to free me?"

"I… magic? I was jesting! I'm no Sorcerer!" Merlin felt cold, despite the heat of the day.

Arthur stared at him for a long moment, and Merlin felt his heart almost stop. "You are, Merlin. I've known almost since the beginning. You've saved my life using magic more times than I can count, and I trust you more than anyone else. I treat you like an idiot to protect you, because if anyone else were to even suspect, my protection won't be enough. Does anyone else know?"

"Only Gaius." Merlin sighed; he felt like a royal idiot, alright.

"Good." Arthur nodded, and Merlin began to examine the ropes once more, careful not to touch them.

"Merlin?"

"I need to find out which spells bind the rope before I can unravel them. The wrong spell, and you could be fried." Merlin smirked playfully, as though actually contemplating it.

"Fine. Take your time." Arthur went quiet, and when Merlin glanced back, he found the Prince both solemn and pale. He was scared, really, truly scared, and not only of Merlin's words.

For the first time, he realized that with his hands bound, Arthur couldn't fight if bandits, or worse, mercenaries, happened upon them. "I'll work as quickly as I can."

He almost missed the soft words, but the wind carried them faithfully to his ear. "Thank you, Merlin."

He chose not to answer; no need to embarrass Arthur on top of everything else.

* * *

  
  
  


Almost five hours had passed, and he was almost done unraveling the spells.

Wandering to one side of the clearing, he ran over the spell in his mind one final time, hoping he had the wording right.

"Where are you going?! Merlin, don't leave me alone!" Arthur was nearly frantic.

"I need to pee." He had been holding it for almost an hour as he traced the last lingering remnants of magic.

"Stay where I can see you." Arthur wasn't quite meeting his eyes.

"Do you want to watch?" The idea made Merlin feel both shy and oddly excited.

"No. I just don't want to be alone." Arthur's eyes pleaded with him.

"Fine, I'll stay where you can see my back." He strode to a tree, certain that Arthur couldn't see as he opened his pants, flopping out a part of himself he longed to show the Prince, but didn't dare to. Not quite, because he was uncertain how Arthur would react to him exposing himself.

Almost as soon as he was free, he began to piss, a low hiss accompanying the waterfall splash of the golden fluid hitting the ground.

A strangled moan cut through the clearing, low, almost pained. "Arthur?" He turned halfway, forgetting himself.

"I'm fine." His fair cheeks were pink, and darkened as his eyes alighted on the part Merlin held in his hands.

"Oh, sorry!" He hastily turned back to the tree, still in full flow.

“Ah!” This time the sound was almost sexual, and Merlin felt his own cheeks heating; either Arthur was aroused by the sight of him relieving himself or…

A third moan, followed by a gasp, and Merlin gave into the urge to look over his shoulder, careful not to flash the Prince a second time.

Arthur’s entire body was tense, and his legs were pressed close together, his knees trembling. “Arthur, do you need some help?”

“Just get me free!” The words were accompanied by another gasp, and a softer “oh” as a damp spot appeared on the front of his trousers.

“You know, I can clean messes up with magic as well.” He commented casually, just to watch Arthur squirm.

“Merlin! I am not going in my trousers! Are you mad?! Just get me out of here!”

Taking his time to retie his laces, Merlin examined Arthur, his eyes flicking over him from head to toe. “Are you certain you don’t want to? I bet it would feel good.”

“JUST GET ME FREE!” Arthur froze as another damp spot appeared, larger this time, and the strain to stop the flow was evident on his face.

“As you command.” He began to chant the spell he had constructed, but being hyper aware of the Prince’s desperation did him no favors, and every slight sound the Prince made broke his concentration.

“It’s no good.” He had been trying for close to ten minutes, with Arthur growing more and more desperate by the second. “If you won’t wet yourself, that leaves me only one choice.”

“What are you doing.” He went still as Merlin’s hands found his lacings; he paused, debating just pressing down on Arthur’s swollen bladder, then rejected the thought. Exposing the Prince against his will was bad enough, but not nearly as bad as assault, which forcing him to wet himself could be construed as.

“I can’t concentrate with all the sweet sounds you are making, and you refuse to just wet yourself, leaving me only one option.” In one smooth motion, he tugged down both trousers and underpants, exposing a surprisingly large manhood, surrounded by a nest of golden curls.

“Move!” Merlin barely had time to dodge before getting a golden shower as Arthur let go at last.

“Ah…” The sounds he had been making paled to the moan of pure relief he let out now, and Merlin found himself staring enraptured, not only in awe of how beautiful Arthur’s cock was, but also at how high-pressure the stream was. 

He liked men, a fact he had never fully attempted to hide, and as a result he had watched numerous men take a piss; boys he had grown up with in his home village, Knights that served under Arthur, and other man servants he knew on sight around the castle, but none had ever had the pressure of Arthur’s stream, no matter how desperate they had been.

“Merlin!” Arthur sounded scandalized, and the warlock slowly lifted his head to find the Prince staring at him. Watching him watching the flow… He knew he had been caught, and there was no way to deny it. “Like what you see?”

“Yes.” His cheeks colored, but he didn’t look away; something deep within him told him not to.

Arthur swallowed hard, his throat visibly bobbing with the motion, and the scandal in his eyes shifted to desire; and Merlin suddenly knew what he had to do.

Summoning all of his power, he spoke words that echoed through his mind; not the spell he had oh-so-carefully constructed, but one that came from outside himself, almost as though he was a conduit to something more, something greater.

The rope around Arthur’s wrists moved, loosening slowly at first, then, with a large jerk, the knot fell apart, and the rope fell away entirely. “You did it!”

“Yes I…!” Merlin barely had time to breathe before being tackled to the ground by Arthur, the last spurts of piss soaking into his own trousers, but he barely noticed as a tongue was shoved down his throat.

Having only kissed a handful of times before; and never as a prelude to sex; Merlin was unprepared for the relentless intensity of Arthur’s kisses. All he could do was hang on as his mouth was ravished, focusing what little brain power he had left on simply breathing, and pray that he didn’t drown.

At last, after what felt like hours, Arthur pulled back, unconsciously licking kiss-swollen lips. “This is why.”

Merlin blinked at him, unable to make sense of the words, then he remembered asking why Arthur had arranged for the two of them to be alone in the forest. “Sire?”

“Arthur. Please, just call me Arthur.” Another kiss, this one slow and tender, but no less intense, as hands began to wander, stroking down his sides, before sliding up underneath his shirt.

“Arthur…” Merlin broke off as his nipple was bumped by a roaming finger; then the hands were gone, and Merlin was pushed down as Arthur flipped them over.

Merlin came to rest with his face level with Arthur’s still exposed manhood; now more than a little excited from the kisses they had shared, and hands stroked through his hair, but he was not pushed further.

Rolling his eyes up, he met Arthur’s as his tongue flicked against Arthur’s tip, then took the Prince into his mouth.

It was awkward, intense, and amazing all at once, as sweat exploded salt across his tongue, counterpointing a sour taste that was likely urine; but underneath it all, Merlin could taste clean, bare flesh.

“Ohhhh…” The Prince lay back, relaxing, his hands still in Merlin’s hair, gently holding him in place, making a silent promise that if it became too much, he could stop, no questions asked.

Somehow, the lack of pressure, coupled with the freedom to go at his own pace helped Merlin relax his throat, and he took advantage of his lack of a gag reflex to swallow Arthur to the root, then pulling back to the tip, sucking and bobbing his head as he developed a rhythm that worked for both of them.

One of his hands gently gripped Arthur’s base, the other worked his own pants open once more, no longer shy about exposing himself as he stroked himself, his moans vibrating his throat around Arthur.

“Shit!” Arthur tensed, with an unconscious whimper, trembling around Merlin as his balls drew up tight, and Merlin, knowing Arthur was getting close, began to pump with his hand in time with his bobbing.

“Stop.” Merlin rolled his eyes up, shaking his head slightly as he swirled his tongue over the head, and Arthur came, silent for the first time since their lips had first met.

Swallowing easily, Merlin cleaned Arthur with his tongue, then he sat back on his heels as he pumped himself one final time, spraying himself with his own seed.

“You swallowed.” It wasn’t a question. “Have you done that before?” That was a question.

“No, I haven’t, however I have tasted cum before. My own, at least.” Merlin leaned in. “Besides, you taste good.” He kissed Arthur, allowing the Prince to taste his essence from Merlin’s tongue.

With a soft sigh, he pulled back. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished.” Arthur pulled his pants back up, casually, yet firmly, signalling that their lovemaking was over for the moment.

Merlin felt no regret as he also fixed his clothes, and began to organize a long overdue meal as the sun began to set behind the trees.

* * *

  
  


Present

Arthur fell silent. “Do you remember anything now?”

“Yes.” Merlin’s memory had slowly been returning as Arthur spoke, and what the Prince hadn’t been able to tell him, his mind had filled in. “I remember everything.” He relaxed, cuddling into Arthur’s side. “I’m sorry for pulling away this morning.”

Arthur’s smile was as bright as the sun. “I was so scared I had made a mistake with you, somewhere along the line. That maybe you were getting cold feet, or regretting what we had done.”

“Never.” He kissed Arthur’s lips softly, whispering; “I’ve wanted this since the first moment I saw you, before I realized how much of a prat you are.”

“Fair enough; I’ve wanted you almost as long, before I discovered that you can use magic. Oh, right, I never did thank you for freeing me did I? Merlin, thank you.” The words were followed by a feather soft kiss that started a trail of light kisses ending behind his left ear.

“There’s still one thing I don’t understand.” Arthur hummed, and Merlin continued. “Why did you arrange for us to be alone in a forest clearing just to seduce me?”

Arthur bit down gently, then sucked the raised skin, stopping just short of marking Merlin. “I’m not an idiot.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I know your loyalty is born of friendship to Arthur Pendragon, the man, rather than blind devotion to the Crown Prince of Camelot. Because of that, I had no idea how you would react. I love you, Merlin, but I was by no means certain of your feelings towards me. So I arranged the hunting trip, certain that distance would keep the entirety of Camelot in the dark should you have reacted badly. Also, I have never ordered anyone into my bed, and have therefore never lain with a man before.”

“What changed?” Merlin could not see how uncertainty had translated to pouncing on him, though he couldn’t help but feel flattered that he was Arthur’s first in any way at all.

“I saw how you were looking at me, after…” His cheeks pinked. “And I knew that you did feel the same way.”

“Ah.” Merlin yawned as he stood, and retrieved a purse full of salted pork, along with the last two apples.

“When we get back to the castle, go to Gaius, and make whatever excuses you need to; I want you warming my bed tonight.”

“I’ll be there.” Merlin bit into his apple as an arm fell across his shoulders, pulling him in close once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Please visit my profile for more information on how to support me as a writer.


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